2nd Quarter 2001
The Appraisal Institute, our local chapter and the AI designations
by Christopher S. Tillett, MAI, SRA
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The Upstate New York Chapter comprises all areas of New York State north of New York City/Hudson Valley and east of Buffalo. Because of this large geographic area, we have a primary chapter and 4 branch chapters in the cities of Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Binghamton. Communicating to individual members regarding issues facing appraisers will be simplified soon by our efforts to implement an interactive type chapter web site. The site is planned to allow committee chairs, branch chapter chairs, the executive director and the 2002 President to put pertinent information directly on the web site. Communicating meeting dates, legislative and appraisal issues could be streamlined with such a tool. The Upstate New York Chapter leadership is exploring all options the Internet can provide to further benefit members.
Our primary chapter conducts four meetings per year, January, April, June and October. Two of the primary chapter meetings are held in Syracuse with the October meeting held in the city of the incoming President and the June meeting held in a resort area. The June 2001 meeting was held on Canandaigua Lake within the Finger Lakes Region. Past years locations have been Lake Placid, Alexandria Bay and Old Forge. A chapter effort is under way to increase the number of joint meetings with related real estate professions such as mortgage bankers and assessors. Declining membership has been a problem for the Appraisal Institute over the past 8 years. I understand that other professional organizations have experienced similar trends. State certification of appraisers, turnover in the mortgage banking field, bank consolidation and |
competition from other real estate groups has contributed to this trend. While the Appraisal Institute has some work to do to bring membership numbers back up, there has been a noticeable effort by existing, non-designated members to obtain their SRA (residential) or MAI (general) designations. These professional appraisal designations remain the benchmark for which to judge the most qualified appraisers in the country.
I invite everyone to visit our web site now, and again in 6-8 weeks to see the changes and find out what's "going on" in the appraisal industry. The Upstate New York Chapter can provide speakers for other real estate related organizations or community groups. Our chapter web site is www.NYAppraisers.com Chris Tillett is the 2001 President of the Upstate New York Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. |
ECONOMIC & BUSINESS
Eastman Kodak Company-- Eastman Kodak Co. reported second quarter revenues of $3.592 billion, down 4% compared with $3.749 billion in the second quarter of 2000. Net earnings were $36 million, or 12 cents per share, compared with $506 million, or $1.62 per share, in the second quarter of 2000. On an operational basis, excluding restructuring and other charges totaling $1.00 per share, second-quarter gross profits as a percentage of sales rose to 39.1%, up from 36.2% in the first quarter. The second-quarter restructuring charge primarily covers severance for approximately 2,400 employees and write-downs associated with asset impairments and business exits. For the first two quarters of 2001, sales were $6.567 billion, down 4% compared with $6.844 for the first two quarters of 2000, and down 1% excluding foreign exchange. Net earnings totaled $186 million, or 64 cents per share, compared with $795 million, or $2.55 per share in the first two quarters of 2000. Excluding one-time charges, earnings were $482 million, or $1.66 per share, in the first half of 2001, in the first half of 2001, compared with $810 million, or $2.60 per share, in the same period of 2000. (7/17)
Bausch & Lomb-- Bausch & Lomb announced net sales for the second quarter were $414 million, down 9% from the $455.2 million reported in the second quarter of 2000. Net earnings were $6.8 million, or $0.13 per share, compared to $34.6 million, or $0.64 per share, reported for the second quarter of 2000. For the first half of 2001, revenues were $826.2 million, down 4% from the $864 million reported for the same period in 2000. Excluding the impact of charges, write-offs and non-recurring gains recorded in both years, net earnings were $13.1 million, or $0.24 per share, through the first two quarters of 2001, compared to $64 million, or $1.15 per share in the same period in 2000. Contact lens sales for the second quarter were down 8% from last year, sales of lens care products declined 26% while pharmaceutical sales increased 22% over last year. (7/19)
Big Box Retailer Expansion-- Developers are adding approximately 1 million square feet of coming or proposed retail space to the market. This growth surge comes on the heels of big box retails building up their presence in the local market, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Home Depot Inc., Target Corp., Lowe's Cos. Inc., Kmart Corp., BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. and Sam's Wholesale Club Ltd. Co. The majority of them have entered the local market in the last decade. In general, big boxes are occupied by large national retail chains and take up 100,000 square feet of space or more. In the Rochester market, they generally have three or four sites, are freestanding, and are within sight of expressways. Wal-Mart has stores in Greece, Henrietta and Webster, each equaling roughly 100,000 sq.ft. They are expected to open their first local supercenter in June, in Westgate Plaza in Gates. Another Wal-Mart supercenter is planned for the former Hechinger's Plaza on the Irondequoit/Rochester town line. The former Hechinger's Co. home improvement store site sat vacant for roughly a decade. Construction is expected to start this year after demolitions and the store is slated to open in late 2002. Wal-Mart plans to build its third area supercenter in Victor near Route 96 and is considering enlarging its existing Henrietta and Greece stores. Home Depot is the big box with the largest local chain - five stores in Irondequoit, Henrietta, Greece, Victor and Penfield and a sixth to open soon in Gates. Lowe's has built one site in Henrietta. It has presented plans for another store to the Webster planning board for land it acquired near BJ's in Webster Square. Lowe's has also proposed building a store at the Greece Park Outlet Mall. It plans to bulldoze the former Ames store and movie theater and build new. BJ's, which has stores in Webster, Victor and Henrietta, plans soon to relocate its Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Road store to new facility next to Home Depot on Jefferson Road. Target has four stores in Victor, Greece, Henrietta, and Penfield. Sam's has two locations in Greece and Henrietta. Kmart has five locations in Greece, Irondequoit, Victor, Webster, and Chili. (4/27)
Corn Hill Project-- Three projects are under way along the Genesee River gateway into downtown, between the Court Street and the Ford Street bridges. In the next five years, a housing and commercial center will be built on the west side of the river near Corn Hill. The state will replace the bridge carrying Interstate 490 over the river with a stylish steel arch bridge. On the east side of the river, the state is replacing the river wall and building a walkway. The cost of the projects approaches $50 million. The $20 million Corn Hill Landing project, announced two years ago, is a major part of the riverside development. Mark IV Construction is planning to invest more than $15 million into the project. Company plans include construction of 125 one-and-two-bedroom luxury apartments, 15,500 square feet of retail space, 15,000 square feet of office space and underground parking. Construction was scheduled to start this spring, but delays in financing and an agreement between the city and state for the lease of land along the river has delayed the project's start to end of summer or early fall. It will take approximately 18 months to complete construction, excluding the office facility. Mark IV is working to secure a $14.5 million loan guarantee form the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the project. HUD has given preliminary approval and financing should be obtained by the end of summer. The state and city are partners in the development. The state Canal Corp. completed reconstruction of the flood wall and built a public walkway south of Court Street, linking downtown with the Canal Landing project. The state project included dockage for boats with hookups to water and electric service. Its cost was about $1.6 million. The city spent $2.7 million to prepare the site for construction, including the removal of contaminated soil. Mark IV is planning to integrate apartments, retail and office facilities into the riverside improvements completed last year. The city and state are spending more than $4 million to rebuild the river wall and to build a walkway similar to one on the west bank. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It will improve the trail between the Erie Canal and downtown. (5/29)
Bank Acquisition-- FleetBoston Financial announced that Fleet Bank branches in Naples, Rushville, and Penn Yan, along with 33 other branches in upstate New York, will be sold to Dewitt based Community Bank, N.A. The 36 branches employ 174 employees in total. The Shortsville branch is not inlcuded among the branches sold. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Branches acquired by Community Bank N.A. represent approximately $484 million in consumer and commercial deposits and approximately $240 million in consumer and commercial loans as of March 31, 2001. Fleet's total workforce throughout the upstate region is approximately 5,600 employees. (6/10)
Auto Dealership-- Ford Motor Co. announced plans to disband the Rochester Ford Auto Collection. The Collection has eight locations: Avon-90 W. Main St., Brighton-2500 W. Henrietta Rd., Churchville-111 S. Main St., East Rochester-71 Marsh Rd., Greece-4545 W. Ridge Rd., Irondequoit-1600 E. Ridge Rd., Victor-7325 Route 96, and Webster-810 Ridge Road. Each of the eight locations will be sold individually. Ford Investment Enterprises brought the dealerships under one umbrella to increase profits, first sharing ownership and then buying out Auto Nation Inc.'s shares. The company will begin negotiating deals within the next two weeks. The Rochester Auto Collection employs 397 people. It is anticipated that those employed will most likely continue with the new owners. (6/27)
Recreational Facility Growth-- Three local developers, William Boulter, Andrew Gallina and Bernard Iacovangelo plan to build nearly $10 million worth of indoor and outdoor soccer fields to meet the needs of the area's growing amateur soccer population. They are in various stages of planning and building three soccer-field complexes on some 200 acres throughout Monroe County. If approved, 38 indoor and outdoor fields will be added to the Rochester market. Boulter broke ground on a $1.7 million, 44,000 square-foot indoor soccer facility, an addition to the Webster Community Sports Center at 855 Publishers Parkway in Webster and is expanding a series of outdoor fields. The expansion project, which received a $750,000 grant from the state, will add one full-size indoor field and is expected to be finished by November. Gallina purchased 60-acres at 838 Elmgrove Road in Gates from Eastman Kodak Co. Gallina plans to build a 107,000 square-foot facility by November. It will feature two indoor soccer fields and one larger field with sidelines. Plans also include an 8,000 square-foot workout facility and adding two or three outdoor fields. The cost of developing the recreation site is roughly $4 million. The County of Monroe is considering a proposal by Iacovangelo to build an estimated $4.5 million, 24-field, tournament-style complex on 125 acres off Union Street in Chili. (5/11)
Area Home Sales-- According to the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, sales of existing single-family homes fell 4.3% in April compared with the same month in 2000. However, sales were up 8.3% from March 2001. The Association reported more than 14% fewer homes are on the market in 2001 than there were in 2000. Accepted purchase offers, an indication of future closings, were down 12%. The median sales price rose 4.3% to $91,000. (5/11)
Area Employment-- According to state Labor Department, Rochester's jobless rate was 4% in March, down from 4.5% in February and 4.4% in March of 2000. The state's unemployment rate was also 4%, down from 4.3% in February. Overall, there are approximately 575,000 jobs in Monroe County. (4/20)
Automobile Sales-- The Rochester Automobile Dealers' Association reported that 3,941 new vehicles were sold in May 2001, down from 4,173 for the same month a year ago. There were 2,234 used vehicles sold in Monroe County in May, down from 2,349 in May 2000. (6/28)
OFFICE
Perinton-- Harris Beach LLC plans to move its headquarters from the Granite Building on East Main Street to the old Citicorp building in Perinton. Harris Beach purchased the 99 Garnsey Road property from Citicorp in May for $9.25 million and plans to spend $5 million to renovate 100,000 square feet of the building. The project will add 28 jobs. COMIDA approved $529,000 in tax breaks and other benefits. The agency says Harris Beach's move will yield $740,000 in tax and other revenue over the next 10 years. Citicorp, which sold the building in an effort to consolidate its operations, will continue to occupy about 60,000 square feet of the 160,000 square-foot building. Harris Beach will maintain two floors of offices in the Granite Building, which the firm co-owns with the law firm Lacy, Katzen, Ryen & Mittleman LLP since 1985. (4/18)
Perinton-- Victor-based Christa Construction is proposing to renovate and expand a former bank at 1212 Pittsford-Victor Road, near Corporate Crossings on Sully's Trail. Christa plans to renovate the entire former bank building, including the exterior, and add 18,000 square feet of office space. The completed building would have 56,000 square feet of corporate office space. (4/3)
Rochester-- Xerox Corp. has put the 34-year-old Xerox tower located on South Clinton Avenue on the market. The potential deal comes as Xerox is cutting costs, getting out of much of its rental space around Monroe County and moving staff into Xerox tower. The complex, which fills a city block, now holds offices for 1,200 workers, up from 1,000 last year. The potential sale of Xerox Square would strengthen the company's already positive cash flow. According to Robert Moore of the local real estate company, Moore & Associates, a potential sale price is difficult to estimate. Depending on the nature of the transaction, Xerox could get $100 million or more, depending on what they want to pay in rent. (5/30)
Rochester-- The ownership of Midtown Plaza will pass from developer Peter J. Arnold of California to New York City's Blackacre Bridge Capital. Blackacre, which loaned Arnold $18.5 million to buy the 1.2 million-square-foot property from the McCurdy family in November 1997 for $23.5 million, made a "credit" bid of $14,946,129. Blackacre made the only bid on the 39-year-old office and retail complex on main Street downtown. If Blackacre decides to sell Midtown, real estate experts have estimated a sale price of between $8 million and $10 million in its current state. (6/20)
Webster-- Paychex Inc. agreed to purchse PSC Inc.'s Webster headquarters May 3. The sale price on the 135,000 square-foot building was $5 million. The sale price was 46% less than PSC's asking price of $9.3 million. PSC decided to sell the building as part of a restructuring. Paychex plans to move a computer data center into the building. The company shelved plans to build an addition to its Penfield headquarters in favor of the PSC purchase.
RETAIL
Greece-- The Town Board approved a special permit for D2 Restaurant Systems, LLC, to open Great Northern Pizza Kitchens. The pizza shop will open at the former M&T Bank site at 2750 West Ridge Road. The business will offer pizza, wine and beer and will be open daily. (3/29)
Henrietta-- General Cinema movie theaters in Pittsford and Henrietta will be reopened by a Georgia firm. The Restaurant Entertainment Group of Atlanta, Ga. is re-opening the cinema at Marketplace Mall, 1100 Miracle Mile Drive and it will feature seven screens and a restaurant. That cinema will feature first-run, foreign, and art movies. Restaurant Entertainment is also reopening a cinema with six screens at Pittsford Plaza, 3349 Monroe Avenue. That cinema will have the usual movie snack bar and will feature first-run movies. The Pittsford theater is expected to reopen in early June and the Henrietta theater will reopen in early July. (4/11)
Penfield-- Fallone Enterprises is proposing constructing a 5,270 square-foot building on a parcel just north of its 43,400 square-foot Baytowne Square plaza now under construction. The parcel houses Bay Hots, which will be demolished to accommodate the proposed project. Owners of Bay Hots said the restaurant will relocate around the corner on Empire Boulevard. The additional parcel will allow Fallone Enterprises to move the Baytowne Square entrance farther north, and away from a busy intersection. (4/12)
Perinton-- Wegmans Food Markets has received final site approval from the Planning Board for the expansion of its store at 6600 Pittsford-Palmyra Road. The 28,300 square-foot expansion project includes added interior space, a new façade, and the clock tower. The Zoning Board granted a variance for the 40-foot tower, which will stand atop a 40-foot building, making the entire elevation twice that allowed by town code. Construction will begin this fall and continue for 18 months. The store will remain open throughout the construction. (4/5)
Pittsford-- The Kessler Group Inc. of Rochester will finally go before the village Planning and Zoning Board to have its proposal for a Four Corners Friendly's restaurant reviewed. The Planning Board will review the proposal for the 90-seat restaurant, and it has the final say on whether the Wilsie and Crump building (the former Hunter's Pharmacy) at 1 N. Main Street can be converted into an eatery. The Village Board approved a special permit for the restaurant in March. In addition, the proposal needed to go through a State Environmental Quality Review Act process because the building is close to two other historically significant structures. The chief point of concern is the impact on traffic and parking. The building has no parking spaces assigned to it. (6/27)
Pittsford-- Ewe Too, a women's clothing store in the village reopened in its new location at 15 S. Main Street on May 2nd. The new location is three times larger than Eve Too's old store, which was located in a small, free-standing cottage behind the Hicks and McCarthy Restaurant on Main Street. The new location is the third for Ewe Too since it opened in 1986. (5/30)
Pittsford-- Boku, a South Main Street upscale gift shop has gone out of business just 18 months after opening. Parking constraints in the village were part of the reason for the store's closing. (4/11)
Rochester-- Wegmans Food Markets Inc. has purchased three parcels of land adjacent to its 1750 East Avenue store. Wegmans purchased land and buildings at 1792-1798 East Ave., 1800-1804 East Ave. and 1765 University Avenue. Each property sold for $833,400. Built in 1962, the East Avenue store was Wegmans' 10th store. At 41,000 square feet, it ranks among the smallest in the chain. Wegmans stores average 100,000 square feet. Wegmans is renovating four local stores; Lyell Avenue, Chili Avenue, Penfield and Perinton locations to include drive-through pharmacies and cafes. When finished, the stores will range from 95,000 to 120,000 square feet. Wegmans has no plans in the works to expand its East Avenue store. The acquisition gives Wegmans the flexibility to expand in the future. (3/25)
Spencerport-- A new grocery store will move into the Village Plaza supermarket building, which has been empty since November when Jubilee closed. Village Plaza Foods will be selling IGA products. The store will have an estimated 50 to 60 full-and-part-time employees. The new store will have a café, coffeebar and a video department. The tentative opening date is mid-May. (6/27)
INDUSTRIAL
Gates-- Lightwave Enterprises Inc., the maker of precision lenses will move into part of the Rochester Technology Park. LEI will build a manufacturing operation there in 27,000 square feet of space. The company has taken options to occupy four times that much space. LEI how has about a dozen full-and part-time employees. The company hopes to have 30 full-time employees by year's end and 100 by the end of 2002. (3/28)
Gates-- RGS Energy Group Inc. has signed a letter of intent to lease Rochester Technology Park's electrical distribution network from owner continental Industrial Capital LLC. One of the provisions of the agreement calls for a study of a possible "cogeneration facility" on the site, essentially a small scale power plant. The idea is in the early planning stages. The final plant could be a new facility, or gas turbines could be added to the existing 50,000 square-foot steam plant to generate electricity. (6/20)
Greece-- Rochester Photonics Corp., a division of Corning Inc., has purchased from Eastman Kodak Co. more than 10 acres adjacent to its Canal Ponds Business Park. The purchase price was $954,000. In 2000, Rochester Photonics moved to Greece to accommodate expansion plans. Eventually the company could employ more than 300 people. (3/30)
Greece-- Greece has purchased 490 acres of industrially zoned land from Eastman Kodak Co., with plans to turn it into an industrial, commercial and recreational center that will bolster the town's tax base. The town bought the land for $840,000. The land is assessed at $1.96 million. Development of the area south of the Erie Canal and north of the Gates border, which includes two miles of canalside property, likely won't occur for a number of years. The land will be the last undeveloped industrial zone in Greece; 3% of Greece is now developed as industrial. The only other vacant industrial parcels in northwest Greece will be switched to residential once the town's master plan is completed this summer. Kodak is getting a tax break on the deal because the purchase counts as a donation to charity. (4/23)
Henrietta-- Store to Door LLC, a Massachusetts-based storage company, signed a lease for 14,000 square feet of storage space to add to its 18,000 square feet located at 1225 Jefferson Road. It also bought 300 containers, bringing its inventory to 700. Unlike other local storage companies, Store to Door brings a container the size of a small toolshed to a home or business. Some 70% of its business is tied to residential customers who are moving. Commercial users make up some 30% of Store to Door's business. (4/6)
Henrietta-- Van Zile Travel Service is undergoing a $2.3 million expansion project. The area's largest independent travel agency expects to grow from 74 full-time employees to 160 employees over the next five years. Construction is expected to begin next month on the firm's new 21,000 square-foot facility on four acres at Winton Place. Russell P. Le Frois Builders Inc. is slated to build it. The company plans to keep its main office on Monroe Avenue in Brighton as well as smaller offices in Greece, Fairport and Baltimore, Md. (5/25)
Rochester-- Valeo S.A. announced plans to invest approximately $115 million into its Lyell Avenue plant. Theirry Morin, Valeo's new chief executive officer declined to specify the Rochester changes because the company is in negotiations with labor union officials. (4/13)
RESIDENTIAL
Pittsford-- The Rochester Friendly Home plans to build a senior-living complex at Clover Street and Tobey Road. The plans have been revised since the original proposal, submitted nearly six years ago never went forward. The complex, to be called Cloverwood, has a total of 223 units, including 88 independent-living apartments, 65 patio homes, and 70 enriched living apartments. A 120-bed nursing home has been dropped from t he project. The Town Board will hold a public hearing to review the proposal on May 1st. (4/25) Several senior citizens voiced their support for the proposed Cloverwood Senior Living complex. The Town Board is expected to vote on the proposal by June 5th. A spokesman for the Cloverwood project said Cloverwood is being marketed to potential residents this summer. He anticipates it would take a year to get the necessary financing and project approvals. If all goes smoothly, construction could begin the summer of 2002 and be ready for opening by summer or fall of 2003. (5/1,5/9)
Pittsford-- The Planning Board is reviewing a proposal submitted by the Sisters of St. Joseph to build a new mother house on French Road. The proposal calls for a two-story facility of approximately 150,000 square feet on a 59-acre parcel on the north side of French Road between Allen's Creek and the French Road entrance to Nazareth College. Developers want the board to use the town's Incentive Zoning Law to rezone to allow a multiple-resident structure. The Sisters are offering to build a $110,000 storm water maintenance facility, place 23.5 acres in a permanent conservation easement and protect and 8-to-10-acre oak opening. If the land is rezoned and the project approved by the Planning Board, the motherhouse will not only be the congregation's administrative center, it will also house 150 sisters in 20 nursing care beds, 20 special care beds, 40 assisted living beds and 70 independent living beds. (4/3)
Rochester-- The old Sacred Heart Academy at 8 Prince Street is being renovated by the Billone family. Plans call for 61 brand-new luxury apartments with lofts, fireplaces, and dishwashers. The interior will have exposed-brick walls, spiral staircases, original maple floors, and large windows. The Billone family, who owns Flower City Management, bought the 1850s building in January 2000. The family plans to call the building, Chapel Hill apartments. (4/17)
Victor-- The Planning Board has postponed a decision that will determine whether the proposed Belleville subdivision will have to undergo a rigorous environmental review. The 76-unit subdivision proposed on 76 acres in east Victor, meets all zoning laws and density requirements of the overlay district passed last year. Under the overlay district, residentially zoned land may only have a density of one house per acre. (3/30)
Webster-- St. Ann's Community is proposing to build a senior citizen complex 888 Ridge Road across from Webster High School. The 41-acre campus would include 176 senior citizen apartments, 68 cottages, 100 assisted living units, and 120 skilled nursing beds. The nonprofit corporation asked the Town Board to rezone the land to allow the project. The land currently is zoned primarily for retail. The proposal calls for a service entrance on Five Mile Line Road and the main entrance on Ridge Road. (4/23)
OTHER
Greece-- The Northwest Family YMCA opened the doors to its new 7,000 square-foot wellness center at 730 Long Pond Road. The center was built to replace two exercise rooms that were no longer able to accommodate its more than 700 members. The center was financed through a $750,000 internal loan to be repaid through membership dues over seven years. (4/17)
Henrietta-- The Rochester Institute of Technology has broken ground on the new Information Technology Lab on the RIT campus. The lab will be an extension of the 126,000 square-foot B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, which will be constructed during the next year. Golisano, chief executive officer of Paychex Inc., recently donated $14 million to help build the facility, which will serve as a learning laboratory for the more than 3,000 RIT students majoring in Information Technology and related fields. In addition, the college received a $14 million state grant for the overall project. Construction of the lab is expected to begin in late may and be completed by November. The two-story, 8,500 square-foot lab will focus on conducting research and workforce development programs. (5/11, 5/16)
Irondequoit-- Construction has begun on a 66-unit Holiday Inn Express, owned by Bass Hotels & Resorts Inc. at the Irondequoit Mall. The mall is giving up a portion of its parking lot for the hotel. Theraldson Enterprises Inc. of Fargo, N.D., a national developer of limited-service hotels, will develop and manage the site. In addition, IHOP Corp., formerly the International House of Pancakes, plans to open its first Rochester-area restaurant at East Ridge Road and Irondequoit Mall Drive, in the west end of the Irondequoit Mall parking lot. Its second facility is slated to open in Henrietta this fall at 556 Jefferson Road. The company is looking for franchisees. The Irondequoit facility is under construction and should open in August. The Jefferson Road facility will begin construction in June, with an early fall opening date. The total cost for the hotel & restaurant project at the Irondequoit Mall is roughly $14 million. (5/25)
Mendon-- The Honeoye Falls Marketplace has signed a least to operate a 15,700 square-foot super-market in a shopping center on Assembly Drive. The store will emphasize perishable foods such as meat, produce, and bakery items and is expected to open in October or November. The supermarket will open in the old Big M site. Big M closed more than two years ago because of weak sales when parent company and chief supplier Penn Traffic Co. took over the assets to satisfy debts owned by the prior owners. (6/28)
Perinton-- The Town Board granted a special-use permit to local resident Glenn Collins for construction of a 26,000 square-foot complex on the 5.59-acre parcel at 2830 Baird Road for the operation of the combination sports and daycare center. As planned, the $1.25 million soccer/daycare center would operate as two businesses under one roof: Kidsports and Empire Soccer-Fairport. Kidsports would be a state-registered before and after school program with a capacity for 120 children between the ages of 5 and 12. Empire Sports-Fairport would have a 14,400 square-foot astroturf indoor soccer and lacrosse field from September to March, from April to August the astroturf would be taken out and a sports floor would be laid down for basketball, volleyball and roller hockey. In addition to the 14,400 square-foot playing field, the indoor soccer building is planned to have an arcade, concession stand, and pro shop. A 10-foot-high chain-link fence would enclose the entire facility. Collins anticipates all financial arrangements for the project will be completed by the end of April. (4/12)
Pittsford-- St. Bernard's Institute of Rochester, which currently has its offices at the Colgate Rochester Divinity School, wants to build a new seminary on French Road. The new school, to be called the Graduate School of Theology and Ministry, would house classes for its graduate programs. The proposed building would be 15,000 square feet and be located on four acres of land currently owned by the Sisters of St. Joseph. (4/18)
Rochester-- State University College at Brockport became the new owner of 55 St. Paul Street. The $1.4 million purchse of the St. Paul Street building gives SUNY Brockport 80,000 square feet, nearly doubling the space for MetroCenter programs now held in the Sibley Building on East Main Street. SUNY Brockport's next downtown plans are to move its Rochester Equal Opportunity Center from 305 Andrews St. to the Sibley Building, the Andrews Street property will then be sold. (4/16)
Victor-- The National Bank of Geneva plans to open a branch at the corner of Maple Avenue and Main Street, at the site of the former Victor Hotel. The defunct gas station now on the property will be torn down. Bank plans have received conceptual approval, and the bank will work with village officials on the design. Construction should begin in June or July and the target opening date is October. The bank chose Victor due to its growth. The town population grew by 38.7% between 1990 and 2000, according to the census. (4/4)
Webster-- Marina Dodge Inc. has moved to 943 Ridge Road, the old location of Timothy Dodge, after acquiring the dealership from owner Timothy Balconi. Marina Dodge has been located at 65 Pattonwood Drive in Irondequoit, but its building was purchased by the state as part of the Stutson Street Bridge replacement. (5/26)
GENERAL
Greece-- The town recently authorized $74,000 for an engineering study of English Road. The study is in anticipation of a major reconstruction project along a stretch of the road, from Mt. Read Boulevard to Dewey Avenue. The Rochester-based engineering firm Clough Harbour and Associates will conduct the study, which will be completed this summer. The study will determine the needs of the thoroughfare and recommend how to fix the problems. The town has allocated $350,000 to complete the reconstruction project. (4/26)
Henrietta-- The town plans to sell the 123-acre Riverton Golf Course for $509,238 but needs state approval for the transaction because the state helped fund improvements at the park almost 30 years ago. The Joseph DiMino family would like to buy the property and expand the nine-hole golf course over the area currently occupied by Riverbend Park. The DiMino family has leased the golf course from the town since 1979. The state Senate has approved the transaction. Approval is still needed from the state Assembly before the sale can be completed. (6/27)
Rochester-- Monroe County wants to buy a 9.5 acre plot on the south edge of Greater Rochester International Airport for use in future expansions. Evergreen Acres Mobile Home Park is currently located on the land. The county administration is expected to submit a proposal this month to the Monroe County Legislature to buy the 9.5 acres for $3.5 million and to set aside an additional $1 million to cover relocation costs. Final approval by the legislature could come in August, after a public hearing. The $4.5 million, would come form the annual grants that the airport receives from the federal government. (6/21)
Sweden-- The Town Board has adopted a $1 million bond recreation master plan to help develop the town's first park. The park master plan outlines the development of the park in six phases. The first two phases include two soccer fields, two multipurpose fields, a skate park, a BMX track, three softball fields, two Little League baseball fields, and ice and inline skating rink, two ponds, two restrooms and two open-air picnic pavilions. Complete development of the 156-acre site, which will include an amphitheater, is expected to take 10 to 15 years. (4/17)
Victor-- Work has begun on a major reconstruction of Interstate 490 in Perinton and Victor. The Depart of Transportation awarded the $18.5 million contract for the reconstruction to Cold Spring Construction Co. Construction will occur west of the Thruway toll plaza 45 in Victor. There will be two lanes open in each direction. Ramp closures will be necessary; detours will direct traffic to Pittsford-Victor Road (Route 96) for alternate interchange. The project will rebuild the concrete pavement from Garnsey Road bridge to the toll plaza, including work on the bridge crossing Pittsford-Victor Road and another near the route's connecting ramp. Additionally, the closed rest areas will be converted into truck inspection sites. The project is expected to take two years to complete. (4/26)
